


Like a Charm

by acrazyworldofdreams



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Magic, BIt of a fluff that I really enjoyed writing!, Charms, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Harry Potter References, Hogwarts, Kpop Characters, M/M, Magic, Mark bloody Lee, Minor Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin, Multi-Fandoms, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Ravenclaw!Mark, Slytherin!Donghyuck, Tutoring, magical spells
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 13:52:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15414348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acrazyworldofdreams/pseuds/acrazyworldofdreams
Summary: Donghyuck’s always sucked at charms, which is surprising because in every other part of his life charming people comes naturally. It’s ironic in the least fun sense of the word because every Wednesday without fail he spends 2 hours of his life swishing his wand around repeating spells over and over ago till it drives him mad. All the whilst Mark bloody Lee has moved so far past him, he’s making roses dance together in a line and they’re occasionally bursting into song. Drat!





	Like a Charm

Donghyuck’s always sucked at charms, which is surprising because in every other part of his life charming people comes naturally.

It’s ironic in the least fun sense of the word because every Wednesday without fail he spends 2 hours of his life swishing his wand around repeating spells over and over ago till it drives him mad. His professor thinks the spells can tell he’s insincere when he’s casting them. That the spells knows he doesn’t take them seriously which is why they don’t work properly. Donghyuck thinks it’s a load of old tosh, but here he is again for the fourth week straight failing to make his one rose dance across the table.

All the whilst Mark bloody Lee has moved so far past him, he’s making roses dance together in a line and they’re occasionally bursting into song. It reminds Donghyuck of that muggle movie, his sister made him watch once, where all the cutlery started singing and dancing. It’s a good memory, one he intends to relive if only he can pass charms and make it home this summer.

_‘Donghyuck, please see me after class.’_

_‘Yes professor.’_

He know what’s coming. It’s so cliché, he wants to punch something. If he doesn’t get this mastered in the next two weeks before their O.W.L’s start he’s going to fail, and he’ll have to repeat it next year. Not something he or his professor wants. So Donghyuck’s best guess is a tutor, and he knows exactly who the professor is going to ask. Mark bloody Lee.

Once upon a time, Donghyuck and Mark were friends if you can believe it. In their first year, Ravenclaw (Mark’s House) and Slytherin (Donghyuck’s house) shared potions and transfiguration together, and they hit it off. Mark’s quiet side balanced out Donghyuck’s over enthusiastic one. They worked well on projects together. Mark getting studious and nailing the assignments, whilst Donghyuck added a flair of individuality and showmanship to them, sending them to the top of the class. It really was a match made in heaven.

Where things had started to go wrong was the difference in their personalities. Mark would always want to work on things straight away, and Donghyuck would be distracted by the latest going on the school Quidditch pitch. Not a player himself, but an avid fan. This led to a few falling's out in their second year, where their age and maturity levels left them unable to work through their problems. They parted ways without making a conscious choice to, and their paths hadn’t crossed again for a long time.

Mark had gone on to academically achieve throughout his time at Hogwarts. Making top of the class without much of a sweat, whereas Donghyuck had become influential and well liked. He’d taken on the mantel of school Quidditch match commentator and his studies had maintained a reasonable level. He wasn’t Mark bloody Lee though you know.

_‘Ahh Donghyuck, thanks for staying. I’ve been watching you in class and I’m a bit concerned for your upcoming exams. I think a bit of extra tutoring may not go a miss and I’ve asked one your classmates, whose well ahead on the syllabus to help you. You might know him, he’s from Ravenclaw house. His name is Mark Lee.’_

Donghyuck tries not to groan at the sound of Mark’s name, and before he can really do anything, the boy in question steps back into the classroom.

_‘Sorry Professor was just talking to my classmate about some Transfiguration coursework. Have you told him yet? I’m keen to get to my next class, so it’d be great to get something into my schedule.’_

The words spilling from Mark bloody Lee’s lips sound so simple, just put a date in their calendars, show Donghyuck some charms. Then they’ll skip merrily into the O.W.L’s and he’ll ace them. He knows better than to say anything in front of the professor, but he at least allows himself an eye roll. One Mark bloody Lee doesn’t miss. Damn.

 _‘Yeah the Professor just told me. Would tomorrow night be okay?’_ Donghyuck tries to cover up his slip. _‘Would we be able to practice here Professor?’_ The Charms rooms seem a good place as any to Donghyuck.

_‘Yes of course. Mark does that work for you?’_

Panicking that Mark bloody Lee is going to drop him in it, or at the very least abandon him for his rude behaviour, he lifts his eyes to the boy’s he once knew.

 _‘Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow night Donghyuck. After dinner at 8pm okay? I’ve got a study session before so just get started as soon as you arrive.’_ Mark bloody Lee acts casual as normal. Donghyuck’s not sure how he can be cool and so smart. You shouldn’t really get to be both. That doesn’t seem fair.

 _‘See you tomorrow then.’_ Donghyuck throws his bag over his shoulder and heads out of the classroom. The less time spent in Charms the better. Tomorrow will be interesting though, he hopes Mark bloody Lee can keep it professional.

*

Donghyuck doesn’t know exactly when their indifference to one another became something else.

After their separation in second year, the two didn’t really speak. They passed each other in the long corridors, occasionally being caught on the same swinging staircase or they caught each other’s gaze across the great hall at their multiple feasts throughout the years, but nothing more.

Thinking back it was the start of 4th year that things had begun to change. Mark had caught Donghyuck in a compromising position with another 4th year Hufflepuff in the library. He’s not sure whether it was the fact Mark had just discovered that Donghyuck played for a completely different kind of team than the usual Quidditch one he went on about, or the fact he was doing something disrespectful in a place Mark cherished, either way that’s when Mark bloody Lee began to act weird around him.

At first, it wasn’t anything more than Mark bloody Lee turning around in a corridor Donghyuck and his friends were heading down but after a while he started to see the frown that would appear on Mark’s face whenever Donghyuck had his hand in another’s boy’s. Often a completely different boy because his ‘charms’ right, but still, the looks started to make Donghyuck feel uncomfortable.

Things really came to head the middle of their 4th year though, when Donghyuck was forced to pair with Mark on a Potion’s project. Mark had been tense but over the week he’d relaxed and they’d even re-founded their awesome partnership, resulting in an E for both of them.

Celebrations had resulted in them heading to Hogsmead for a butterbeer together. Donghyuck had been so happy, believing they were going to become friends again. Something he’d never quite understood why it had happened in the first place.

However they’d run into Donghyuck’s love interest at the time, who’d definitely had a fireball whisky or two too many and was way too affection for even Donghyuck’s public displays of affection level, and Mark had lost his cool. Shouting at them to keep their behaviour away from public eyes and had run away from a stunned Donghyuck.

It turned out Mark bloody Lee had something against people being gay. And Donghyuck wasn’t going to stick around defending who he was to someone who didn’t matter, so they’d never spoken again.  

Strangely however, neither had quite forgotten about the other. A tension between them, which had begun when they’d reconnected, never quite disapparated. Donghyuck often snuck looks at the other, trying to understand how someone so smart, so talented, so funny, so cute, could be such a jerk. It was infuriating really.

*

Thursday blows past like a Hippogriff looking for dinner, and before Donghyuck knows it, he's climbing the dreaded stairs towards his least favourite classroom in the castle, the Charms rooms. To be fair to the classroom though, it wasn’t really its fault that Donghyuck sucked at Charms, nor was it their fault that he’d been lumbered with the homophobic perfect prefect that was Mark bloody Lee.

Because of course Mark had made prefect. Way to go on the poor representation Hogwarts.

As Mark had let on that this might be the case, he wasn’t there when Donghyuck strolled in 5 minutes late. Well he wasn’t going to be on time for an asshole like Mark bloody Lee, even if he’s not there. It makes Donghyuck feel better because he can be petty like that. He settles down in Mark’s usual spot in class, hoping some of the other boy’s good luck…well skill…will rub off on him.

For the 100th time he wonders why it’s just so difficult for him to produce good results in this class. It doesn’t help he’s had Mark bloody Lee looking at him all year long, which would put anyone off really. And if he thinks about it, he’s gotten a lot worse this year than ever before.

Donghyuck focuses on the spell from last Charms class, the one with the dancing roses. Something about manipulation with grace. It’s about not being only able to move things, but to direct them with precision and creativity. Focusing hard, Donghyuck tries the Charm once more, praying it’ll work and to his surprise with no-one around he manages to get his solidarity rose to stand up and sway from the left to the right before falling down still once again.

He’s in shock. It’s the most he’s been able to accomplish in months and nobody’s even there to witness this great miracle. Drat!

His second attempt doesn’t fare so well, perhaps his cockiness at succeeding the first time is to blame, or it’s the lingering presence by the door which distracts him subconsciously. As the rose pitifully shuffles across the desk, Donghyuck hears the door to the classroom slide shut and a Mark bloody Lee figure steps in towards him.

 _‘Oh…you’re in my seat. Why?’_ Donghyuck’s too embarrassed to answer, and goes red in the face, because he doesn’t have an answer he’s willing to share.

_‘I just am.’_

Jesus, how 1st year can he be.

 _‘Right okay.’_ Mark bloody Lee only frowns for a second before he recovers his teacher like attitude. Donghyuck knows Mark’s been called upon a few times to help others. As the smart kid in class, he naturally picks up things up quicker, and has the good grace to pass the help on. Mark’s definitely a better person than Donghyuck is.

_‘Let’s focus on the Advanced Levitation Charm first. I caught a glimpse of you doing it before, so it shouldn’t be too hard.’_

He feels his temper rise alongside his already high running embarrassment. How dare he call it easy. And was he spying on Donghyuck before? In a sickly sweet sarcastic voice he responds, _‘Of course, it’s just so easy. I’ll swish my wand because you’re here and all will be whoopsie doo-dah perfect.’_

Mark swings his eyes up to focus in on Donghyuck’s. He’d been looking through their Charms 5th grade textbook, and it seems Donghyuck’s outburst has caught him by surprise.

 _‘Right,’_ Mark blood Lee at least has the decency to look flustered, _‘Okay. I’m sorry. Of course, it’s why we’re here to help you get it sorted. Let’s start at the beginning and see where you might be going wrong. I’m not treating you like a child before you say anything. I just need you to go through it, so I can understand what we need to work on.’_

With those words, because what can Donghyuck say to that, the two of them settle into a fairly awkward but productive session and by the end Donghyuck is producing at least a 5 second dance of a rose. He needs to demonstrate the Charm across multiple roses by the time of the exam, but Mark promises him if he can just practice what they’ve gone over, he’ll get it in no time.

When Donghyuck looks at the clock, he’s shocked to realise it’s gone 9pm. Common room doors close at 9.30pm, so unless you have the late-night activity password which he doesn’t, he needs to get back quickly before he gets caught out. The dungeons are at least a 15-minute walk from Charms, and he’s bound to get lost in the ever-moving dungeon corridors. It’s the bane of every Slytherin’s life that their founder was so paranoid he made the corridors change every hour, but they just deal with it.

 _‘Donghyuck’_ Mark’s voice catches him on his way out of the room _._

 _‘Yes Mark Lee’_ he resists the urge to say bloody.

 _‘Well…’_ the look of the other boy’s face is hard to read, it’s somewhere between hesitant and shy. What the hell? _‘I just wanted to say, you worked hard today, and I appreciate it.’_

Donghyuck is lost for words. He’s never lost for words because charms, right? _‘Oh no worries. I wouldn’t waste anyone’s time if they offered to help me, plus I really do want to pass my O.W.L’s whatever you might think of me.’_

The final comment passes through his lips because he can’t stop it in time. It’s not surprising that he still feels a lot of anger towards the boy in front of him. The last hour has been like a dream, like an alternate reality. One where they were in a band together or something, and they were best friends. Laughing and joking around each with such ease, but they’re not. So Mark’s frown is back again in a flash, and Donghyuck leaves before he can get angrier at the boy, whose too smart for his own good.

*

His Charms professor is pleased with his progress on the Levitation Charm, but cays Donghyuck still needs work on his Colour Change, and Quietening Charms. Ever since the big war, Charms classes have taken a less offensive attack with the spells which are learnt. It’s a bit of an overreaction, but Donghyuck hears if you choose to take the NEWT in it then you’re in for a lot of work. Again Mark is roped in to help Donghyuck and again he’s surprised when the other accepts easily.

Something feels off to Donghyuck. Why does Mark bloody Lee keep helping him, when he obviously can’t stand the very idea of him. It hurts him more than he’s willing to admit. Mark was one of his first real friends, and the pain from the loss of that friendship never really went away. Of course he’s surrounded by friends, and he’s constantly invited to a lot of social gatherings, but Mark was special.

Mark liked Donghyuck for being himself. Mark appreciate Donghyuck for the things he was good at and complimented him so. It’s not fair that someone so nice, would grow up to hate him. Donghyuck wants a friendship do over. Their second lesson goes as smoothly as the first. Both boys seemingly ignoring how the last session ended and how each of them have gone out of their way to avoid each other since.

They’re about halfway through when Mark suggests they head outside for Donghyuck to practice his Quietening charm, claiming it’s easier to practice on someone who is shouting than someone speaking at a normal level.

Donghyuck just shrugs and packs up his things. Mark leads them out towards the Whomping willow, Donghyuck wonders whether Mark bloody Lee is secretly trying to kill him, but Mark takes them past the infamous tree to a small secluded area in the grass. Donghyuck’s never been here before. He’s not surprised though, as he doesn’t spend that much time alone and has never had much of a reason to explore.

_‘This is nice’_

_‘Yeah I like to come out here when everything gets a bit overwhelming and I want to clear my mind.’_

This is Mark’s spot.

Mark’s brought him to this favourite spot. It doesn’t make sense. Why bring someone you hate to somewhere you love.

 _‘Oh’_ is all he can say in response. Mark doesn’t notice and continues with the practice.

They start off easy. Mark’s shouting out random words and Donghyuck’s’ pointing, saying the spell and failing uselessly. After 10 minutes of this utter failure, Mark decides to try a different tack. He starts to say things which get a little close for comfort, and Donghyuck feels his hackles rising.

 _‘You’re never going to get this right Donghyuck.’_ Blast of his wand goes off, sailing past Mark’s head. Damn.

_‘At this rate, it’s unlikely you’ll pass Charms at all. Meaning you won’t make it to the N.E.W.T’s’._

It’s Donghyuck’s worst fear, how the hell does Mark know this will rile him up. How well does Mark bloody Lee know him? He tries again with a fire rising in the pit of his stomach. Mark’s next retort is quieter, but he’s still loud.

_‘Maybe if you spent a little less time fooling around, and a bit more time studying, you wouldn’t be failing this class.’_

Donghyuck sees red and fires off a Quieting charm with more passion than he’s felt since their second-year project on 5 ways to integrate muggles into wizarding life. The spells shoots across the area, and hits Mark dead in the chest, who goes silent two words into his next statement. Mark looks pleased, Donghyuck feels thunderous.

He shouts at the now silent boy. ‘ _What the hell Mark? I get you’re trying to get me riled up, but really commenting on my love life. I know you don’t blooming approve of me being gay, but it’d be great if you kept your homophobic opinions to yourself, okay.’_ The red must be covering his entire face now, and if steam could be rising from his body, it would be.

Mark is still silent because of the spell, but his face is a picture of shock, and then he just looks crestfallen. Donghyuck falls to the ground in an awkward sitting position. If he’s going to have to wait out Mark’s voice coming back, then he might as well be a bit more comfortable whilst doing so.

It takes 5 minutes, and Donghyuck hears a cough which signals the return of the other boys voice, but silence follows. Donghyuck will be damned if he speaks first. He knows he shouldn’t have lost it, but Mark bloody Lee stepped way too close to the line.

 _‘I’m sorry Donghyuck. I thought you knew about me but I’m not homophobic. I promise.’_ Mark eventually whispers quietly, knowing Donghyuck can hear him at this distance and it sounds like he’s afraid of what will happen next.

_‘What? Yes you are. You’ve been giving me the stink eye for over a year now, ever since you caught me and Montgomery in the library. I’m sorry I don’t match your perfect view of life, but I won’t apologise for liking who I like, okay!’_

_‘Okay.’_

_‘What?’_ Donghyuck feels all the fire leave his body. He’s so confused. _‘Mark please can you tell me what happened between us. Why did we end up this way? I never really understood it and I miss my partner in crime.’_ Sadness overwhelms Donghyuck, and he looks up at the boy who left his side so long ago.

 _‘I’m…I’m gay too Donghyuck.’_ Staring is all he can do at the utterance of those words from Mark bloody Lee’s lips. _‘And I guess we drifted apart because I thought you would never like me the way I liked you, so I threw myself into my studies but when I saw you with that boy, I realised it wasn’t my gender you didn’t like. It was just me. So I stayed away. I’m sorry for the staring, I guess I got jealous a lot of the time.’_ Mark scratches his head in this super awkward but cute way, and it has Donghyuck feeling all sorts of weird things for a Thursday night out in the grounds the week before their O.W.L’s.

 _‘You felt Jealous? You like me? All this time and you bloody liked me. Are you freaking kidding me?_ ’ Donghyuck practically screeches his response to Mark’s confusion. It’s not the most coherent of responses either, but he’s too riled up to care.

Mark looks afraid.

_‘Mark you mean to tell me all this time you’ve liked me, when I’ve had a crush on you for years?’_

Donghyuck finally admits it to himself. The obsession with Mark Lee has always been there for a reason. Every smile from the other had his heart racing. Every word of praise for a job well done made his heart swoon. And every bloody time Mark Lee was just Mark Lee, Donghyuck was a goner.

With a shy nod from Mark, who looks like all his dreams have come true, because they have…Charms, right? Donghyuck pulls Marks in for a first kiss. It’s sweet and reassuring. Both boys finding their way after so many years of pining for the other. When they break apart, there’s a happy look across Mark’s face and a beautiful smile to go with it.

 _‘I like you so much Donghyuck. You and all your charms have had me swept off my feet from the moment I met you.’_ Mark’s words are sweet and Donghyuck can tell he’s being sincere.

_‘I like you too Mark, and I can’t wait to spend all the time in the world with you but for right now, can we go back to practising these spealls because I really need to come back next year to do that.’_

Marks laughs, and kisses him once more on the lips before shouting.

_‘Your Quidditch commentary sucks!’_

Well he’s not going to take that lying down, even if it is from the cutest boy in the whole school who happens to like him back.

*

Donghyuck rushes out of the exam as soon as he hands in his parchment. The practical part of the Charms O.W.L had actually been a lot easier than he thought it would be, and the theory part had been a doddle probably due to all the late-night study sessions Mark wonderful Lee had been putting him through. He swears he’ll be doing better in all his exams by at least a letter because of him.

His boyfriend is waiting for him outside the hall already. Mark always finished early, and all those who handed in before 15 minutes before the end could leave the hall. Donghyuck never made it out, but Mark always waited for him.

As one of the last weeks of Donghyuck’s 5th year, spending it with Mark had felt like they’d spent the previous 5 years the same way. Most of his friends had been shocked more than anything to greet the other boy at their food table, and Donghyuck had received the same kind of welcome on Mark’s but all their friends had come around in a few short days.

Even so much that two of their friends, who’d never really spoken before, had gone on a date together. Jaemin and Jeno were a cute couple. Donghyuck knew Jaemin had always had a soft spot for smart boys, which Jeno most certainly was according to Mark.

Hand in hand, Donghyuck followed his boyfriend out of the castle towards the familiar marked spot. After their cliché romantic confession, the spot had taken on a role of comfort for the pair of them. A place they could just be themselves without the years of baggage, which had only cropped up once so far, where they could be Donghyuck and Mark. They had plenty of time to work through the rest of their issues.

Donghyuck lay down, and placed his head in Mark’s lap, his new favourite place to be. Closing his eyes he felt Mark’s short but strong fingers card through his hair. Well if this was what failing at Charms got him, then maybe he was already living life like a charm.

**Author's Note:**

> Had so much fun writing this cross-over fic, bringing two of my much loved fandom worlds together. I loved creating Donghyuck's personality. I hope you enjoy it!


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